Wow, thanks everybody! No worries about the lay off thing, I thinking of it as a semi-paid vacation.

HelloTiki, I know Benzart is going to cringe when I tell you this, but I just hold the wood in my hand, which of course leads to much bloodletting.

Here is the next pendant I'm working on. I'm probably going to work on the eyes a bit more, but when I add any small detail it just gets lost in the crazy zebra wood grain. I'm also not quite sure what to do with the very top (the part you would see if you were looking straight down on it). I'll most likely just sand him smooth and coat him with some poly to make the grain stand out. The pictures don't look as good as he does in person. The cuts don't look as deep for some reason.

Thanks Foamy! Have you seen the pics of your Tiki Leisure set hanging in the Leeward Lounge? They look awsome! Everybody who visits asks me tons of questions about them. Thanks again. Hang in there, I'm still working on our story. _________________Please visit my new website, Leeward Lounge Ukuleles

I've dicided to try something more traditional, so I'm going to attempt a lono from a piece of Black Walnut that Benzart gave me. Don't laugh when it turns out competely different than what I intended!